Liverpool secured a vital 4-1 victory over Newcastle United, with forward Hugo Ekitike emerging as the star performer through a decisive brace that turned the match around. The 23-year-old French striker’s clinical finishing drew high praise from club legend Steven Gerrard, who drew parallels between Ekitike’s style and that of former Anfield icon Fernando Torres.
Comeback Win Boosts Champions League Hopes
Newcastle took an early lead through Anthony Gordon’s strike, dominating the opening exchanges against a slow-starting Liverpool. However, as halftime loomed, Ekitike struck twice in rapid succession, including an inventive toe-poke finish for his second goal, to give the Reds an unexpected advantage. In the second half, Florian Wirtz and Ibrahima Konate added further goals, ensuring Liverpool’s much-needed points in the race for Champions League qualification.
The Anfield crowd showed their appreciation for Ekitike with a standing ovation upon his substitution late in the game, highlighting his growing impact since joining the club in the summer.
Gerrard’s Torres Comparison
During punditry analysis, Gerrard highlighted Ekitike’s predatory instincts, stating: “This is all about Ekitike. It’s Torres-like, he just gets it out of his feet. He reminds me of Torres this player, every time I watch him. He’s scoring similar types of goals where if you give him space in the channel, he’ll run it. He’s too quick, you can’t catch him and he is deadly.”
Ekitike Reflects on Performance
Speaking after the match, Ekitike explained his unique second goal: “To be honest, it is something that I work on in training, and I don’t usually use it that much in games because it is something we don’t see much. I tried to go past him, but he is pretty fast, so I had to find something. The point is that in the last games, since the start of the season, I have had to cut inside and shoot, but he gave me so much space that I could try this and it worked. It’s good.”
On the team’s overall display, the forward emphasized collective effort: “It’s always nice to score goals and give confidence to the players. I think we came here with confidence but also I think tonight is about team spirit. We won 4-1. I scored two goals. Ibou scored and Flo scored. But it’s the whole team if you see the work of Macca and Dom. Everybody tonight was running everywhere. It’s not about the one you see on the scoresheet or who scores goals. It’s about the team tonight.”
